Oklahoma Law Students See Low Passage Rates on Feb. Bar Exam

Oklahoma Law Students See Low Passage Rates on Feb. Bar Exam

Article excerpt

Oklahoma law students who took the bar exam in February
experienced one of the lowest passage rates in recent memory, a fact
that has state law deans concerned. University of Oklahoma College
of Law students scored highest, with a first-time passage rate of 93
percent, compared with 67 percent for students from the University
of Tulsa College of Law and 44 percent for those from Oklahoma City
University School of Law.

Relatively few students take the February bar exam, 110 this
year. Most law school graduates sit for the July exam, with 339
taking it last year.

Last July, OU law grads achieved a 97-percent passage rate, both
overall and for first-timers. TU's July numbers were 90 percent
overall, with 93 percent of first-time takers passing the exam. OCU
law graduates experienced an overall passage rate of 90 percent in
July, with 94 percent of first-timers passing. The overall passage
rate for the state last July was 91 percent, 94 percent for students
taking the bar for the first time.

Coats said some of OU's repeat exam takers failed the bar several
years ago and apparently took the exam this year without proper
preparation.

"That accounted for our very poor showing on the repeat takers,"
he said.

OU had seven exam repeaters, of whom two passed.

"They've been away doing other things and came back and took the
bar again without doing the preparatory courses, which I can't
imagine," Coats said. "That's like playing Russian roulette with all
the cylinders full."

Overall, Coats said, it's difficult to say whether the February
group of law graduates gave below-average answers, "or if there is
somehow a tightening of the grading on the bar exam."

Although pleased that OU students scored highest, Coats said the
71-percent total passage rate for graduates is the lowest he's seen
in a long time.

"I don't think we have been anywhere short of the mid-80s in a
long time," he said.

In February of last year, OU law grads scored an overall bar
passage rate of 84 percent, with 86 percent of first-timers passing.
TU graduates achieved an 89-percent passage rate, 93 percent for
first-time exam takers. OCU law graduates scored an overall passage
rate of 79 percent in February 2008, with 82 percent of first-
timers passing.

For all students taking the February bar last year, the overall
passage rate was 84 percent, 87 percent for first-timers, 72 percent
for repeat exam takers.